A City in Turmoil

Zallar re-examines the brooch and realizes that it matches the description of a brooch the queen would wear.

We ask the captain why the fighting started—the king died, and folks don’t like the queen.Field Marshal Kroft is indisposed at the moment, but the captain will put in a word for us.

The queen is Chelaxian, and holds much of Korvosa in contempt. As for the Captain’s attitude—The queen is here to serve the City, and she is the the ruler of the City, and he serves the Queen.

We head to the Gregoravic estate. Half way there, we turn a corner and see a mob about to kill a nobleman. Zallar pushes his way into the crowd and bluffs them—“its the Marines!”—the mob flees.
(Scene bonus, Zallar)

The nobleman is Amon Jalento — Walking along and ran into the crowd. Hands us a gold ring for thanks—he heads south to the Heights, near the castle, and we head to North Gate.

We get to the Gregoravic estate, and reunite Alex with the family. We rest and resupply, then head down to the Castle to see what there is to see. On the way, we’re attacked by Imps!
(Scene bonus, Zallar)

We’re being slowly killed by the imps, who have DR/5 silver, but then two house drakes show up to help us. We barely survive.

Cora heals us, and we head to the Pantheon of Many to heal our ability damage. -75 gp each.

As we near the Castle Korvosa, the city gets calmer and calmer. There is tension, but there’s no rioting. We approach the gates, and tell the guards that we’re the ones who brought Gaedren Lamm to justice, and we have information for the queen. They let us in, take our weapons, and escort us to the top of the pyramid—the castle’s 3rd floor. We’re greeted by a stern woman wearing full plate armor. She nods curtly at us—Content Not Found: sabina-merrin the Queen’s handmaiden. She asks why we want to see the queen, and we show her the brooch we took off Gaedren. She leads us to Queen Ileosa Arabasti, and announces us.

In the throne room, we see the mourning queen. We tell her how we got it, and hand it to Sabine to give to the queen.

Brooch was stolen—its a symbol of hope. The Queen says she loves Korvosa, and means to see it protected. She offers us an escort of guards to the Citadel—word will be sent to Field Marshall Kroft that we are on our way. Sabine hands us a small chest, and tells us that the brooch was a gift from the King.

We leave, get our weapons, and are escorted across the city to the Citadel. The city is tense, but no longer in a full-on riot. At the Citadel, we’re waved through to the Field Marshall Cressida Kroft’s office and the Citadel is thinly staffed. Field Marshall is wearing red platemail, and looks like she hasn’t slept in days.

We’re invited to be agents of the guards.

Our first mission. Verick Vancaskerkin—a deserter who convinced a small number of guards that the Queen will destroy the city. Deserter is more than a lost resource, its an infection. They’re holed up in an abandoned butchers shop in North Gate—try not to kill the deserters—especially Vankaskerkin. Bring him alive and see why he deserted—the bounty is 500 gp if he’s alive.

We head off decide to sell off some loot and buy better gear, then recon the butcher shop, All the World’s Meat.

We sell the loot! 832 gp each/ 5 sp

As we shop, a drunk hugs Zallar—a well-liked watch sergeant in the guard named Grau Soldado—he calls me Neffy and confuses Zallar with someone he knew in Sandpoint. He invites us for a drink, then realizes Zallar is not Neffy and challenges him to a fight. We talk it out—he’s been drunk since the King died, and after a falling out with Vencarlo Orisini, his sword master. He’s depressed. Rhin asks about the deserters, but he doesn’t know Vankaskerkin. He’s not a deserter—just hasn’t gone back to his post since the King’s death. We walk him back to the Citadel.

The Old Fishery, part 2

From Gaedren’s loot:

Rhin takes the wand

Zallar has Gaedran’s magical dagger and a heal potion

Padded armor is in Larn’s backpack

Cora takes silver magical liquid

Larn takes tube with blue oil

Larn and Zallar head upstairs with Rhin’s scorpion. Larn unlocks the South door, (which the brass key works in—).
Rhin and Cora follow, dragging Gaedren
We find a large room with a balcony above on three sides, (N, S, W). On the east side, barrels marked with the image of a fish. A tarred pool filled with chum and gross things sits on the far side below us (we’re on the balcony), and on the south side of the room a cutout to the river below rests in the floor. I notice someone also on the balcony, and he attacks with an energy spell! He misses. Zallar rushes him with rapier drawn.

Rhin runs up to join us. Larn enters and notices hammocks and small figures hiding below the southern side balcony. He misses Yargin with his crossbow.

Zallar is blasted with acid, and misses with his rapier a few more times. A dog attacks Larn, along with a dozen kids—the one in front (Hookshanks) has a kukri, and the others have pitchforks and things. Zallar yells out Alex’s name and say that his Uncle is here. Alex answers! Cora and Rhin join the fight (Cora had tied Gaedren up in the ship).

Zallar attacks again and slips to the floor! Larn kills the doberman! As Zallar stands, Yargin tries to punch Zallar and fumbles his wand right into the swashbuckler’s hands. He’s terrified and unarmed—Zallar holds his rapier to Yargin’s throat and demands he call off the children. Larn’s crossbow string snaps as he tries to hit Hookshanks.

Yargin leaps off the balcony—Zallar cuts him as he leaps, then follows him down, missing again with his rapier. Alex joins Zallar in attacking Yargin, and Zallar cuts him down as he tries to flee. Zallar and Alex hug and Zallar tells him the group will get him to safety.

Larn jumps down off the balcony, injuring himself gravely, but sneaks up behind Hookshanks to attack with Cora. Rhin shoots acid at Hookshanks, burning him again and again. Cora cuts him down!

After the battle, we ask Alex if there are any traps or other minions in the building. He says no guards, and doesn’t know of any traps.
Rhin gets Yargin’s acid splash wand. Hookshanks was a gnome!

Yargin’s gear

Acid splash wand

Leather armor

Dagger

Light crossbow 10 bolts (Rhin)

brass key (same as Gaedren’s)

small iron key (fishery) — unlocks Cabinet

garnet amulet (pg 20) (100 gp)

Hookshanks’ gear

studded leather armor (small)

Masterwork kukri (250 gp)

disguise kit (20 gp)

small iron key (fishery) — unlocks Cabinet

We ask Alex where Hookshanks slept—to see if the small key unlocks anything there, but it doesn’t. We do find a cabinet that it unlocks, inside we find 200 cp and 100 sp.

We gather up Gaedren and ask about Zellora. He had fed Zellora’s body to Gobblegut.

Zallar plans to take Alex to Northgate, to the Gregoravic Manor.
Larn and Cora take Zellora’s head to a cemetary in southern Korvosa to give last rites.
Rhin has Gaedren and his ledger and papers to turn over to the guard.

We step out of the Fishery, and parts of the city are on fire. Sable Company hippogriffs flying around. We hear screams coming from everywhere—something has gone terribly wrong in the city! We change plans—and decide to head south together to the Citadel.

As we travel, we hear the mobs—
“The King is Dead! Long Live the Queen!”
“Hang the Queen! The usurper must die! "

The Queen is a young Chelaxian outsider. King was older.
Every king sitting on the Crimson Throne has died of not natural causes.

We make our way south. Blood drips on the cobblestone—a wounded Hippogriff crashes nearby.
We stop at Zellara’s home on the way to the Citadel Volshyenek. (We avoid roving mobs.) The place looks like its been empty for weeks—we see our own bootprints in the dust on the floor.

The Harrow deck grows warm…a mist emerges from the deck, and the ghost of Zellara appears.
“Thank you. I believe its your destiny to help the city.”
She knows nothing of the chaos in the city. Thinks we should turn Gaedren into the authorities. Where would she like her final resting place to be? In the Gray. She trusts Cora to give her a proper burial. She is bound to the deck, and his here to help us.

We rest. In the morning, we head south. The city is more calm. The fires appears to be out. Hippogriffs are still flying around.

We see a guy standing on two crates on the corner ahead, yelling:
“The Eye of Grodius has turned from the Boneyard to look upon Korvosa!”

Grodius is the God of the End Times.

As we pass he turns to Larn and points at him. “I saw you in a dream.” He runs up to Larn and states a prophecy—“You will be injured at a time of great peril in Korvosa’s history which will usher in a new age.” Zallar draws his weapon and threaten him.

He backs away—“You’re all dead anyway, but you (Larn) are especially dead.”

Cora sees that he has some sort of disease. Sweating brown sweat. “I have Grodius’ blessings upon me, and you will, too!”

We intimidate him until he runs away.

We continue on to the Citadel, and hand over Gaedren, the ledger and the paperwork. A captain appears and gives us 500 gp as a bounty.

The Old Fishery, part 1

We each received Harrow cards with an invitation written on the back to meet at a house on Lancet Street.

Upon arriving, we find the front door unlocked. The house contained only a single room with a table and little else. Three tapestries cover the walls and the room held no other exits.
A note rested under a rock on the table.

A middle aged Varisian woman—Zellara—enters the room, starts shuffling a deck of Harrow cards. My card, that led me here, is not in my pocket.

She tells us that she is also connected to Gaedren. A year ago Gaedren’s thieves stole her Harrow deck. Her son Eiren tracked down the thief and took it back, but Gaedren’s thugs killed her son. She says she wants only justice, and tells us that Gaedren currently hides at an old fishery at West pier 17.

We decide to join forces and capture him. We’ll go to the pier and scope out this hideout. But first she offers us a Harrow reading—

After the reading, we head to pier 17—an old fishery built on pilings over the Jaeger river. Lights shine from inside.

Larn and Ren swim under the building to see if they hear anything or can find a way in. Cora and Zallar stay on the boardwalk as lookout.

As they near the building, Larn and Rhin are attacked by a shark! They kill it and try to climb up onto a lower dock. Cora and Zallar walk down the upper pier looking for them. We noisily meet them on the lower dock (seen by someone from a window on the south side of the building). We go over to search the boat docked behind the fishery, and Cora sees a secret door on the west side of the ship on the water line.

We go inside and are attacked by tiny poisonous spiders. In the fight a few of us are poisoned.

We search the hold and find nothing, then head upstairs, where Zallar is attacked by another spider. And poisoned again.

There’s nothing on the deck of the ship, and no lights on the east side building windows.

Larn picks the lock on the lower door, and we go into a large chamber…and we see Gaedren. He fires at (and enrages) a giant croc (Gobblegut) that leaps from the water in the center of the room, then we fight! Zallar grapples Gaedren while the others fight Gobblegut. A half-orc named Giggles attacks Cora form the doorway.

We knock Gaedren out, and kill Giggles and the croc! We search the bodies.